Call for urgent cross-party action to save Lough Neagh

By Rebecca Black, PA

There has been a call for urgent cross-party action to save Lough Neagh.

The lough has been blighted with blue-green algae in recent summers, with noxious blooms covering large swathes of the surface.

However Gary McErlain, chairman of the Lough Neagh Partnership, said the devastation this week following recent warm weather is the worst he has seen in 40 years.

Mr McErlain said urgent cross-party action is needed to save Lough Neagh.

“It is not news that Lough Neagh is in the midst of an unprecedented ecological crisis but with the weather providing the blue-green algae with the perfect conditions to bloom, this is an emergency that demands urgent and united political leadership,” he said.

“I believe the time for talking is over. In more than 40 years I have not witnessed the devastation on the lough that I am seeing today.”

Nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural fertiliser running off fields and from wastewater treatment are said to be a contributory factor in the blue-green algae blooms.

The spread of the invasive zebra mussel species is also understood to have played a role in the blooms, as they have made the water clearer, allowing more sunlight to penetrate, stimulating more algal photosynthesis.

Climate change is another factor as water temperatures rise.

The Stormont Executive last year launched an action plan to deal with the environmental crisis at the lough.

Mr McErlain said all parties should enter into constructive engagement with Agriculture and Environment Minister Andrew Muir regarding the implementation of the proposed nutrient action plan.

“It is plain to see that the health of the lough is deteriorating at an alarming rate, threatening not only the delicate balance of its natural ecosystem but also the communities, livelihoods and cultural heritage that depend upon it,” he said.

“For too long, responsibility for Lough Neagh has been fragmented, with agencies and departments working in isolation and often without the resources or mandate to make meaningful progress.

“What is needed now is joined-up thinking, decisive action, and a clear solution that places the immediate, short and long-term health of the lough at its centre.

“The people who live around Lough Neagh, who rely on it for recreation, fishing, tourism and water supply, deserve to see that those elected to serve them are capable of rising above party politics to work together for the common good.

“I fear that if we fail to act collectively and urgently, the damage to Lough Neagh could quickly become irreversible, with devastating consequences for biodiversity, the local economy and our shared natural heritage.”